About.com - San Antonio

[Kori Ellis]

As some of you already may know, last month I was hired to do an ongoing writing job for About.com San Antonio (http://sanantonio.about.com/).

Basically I will be writing articles about everything and anything San Antonio.

I would appreciate it if you all would support me in this endeavor, by reading my work. The site consists of everything from San Antonio Arts and Culture (http://sanantonio.about.com/od/artsculture/Whats_Happening_in_San_Antonio_Arts_Culture_and_En tertainment.htm) to San Antonio Restaurant Reviews (http://sanantonio.about.com/od/restaurants/San_Antonio_Restaurants.htm) to San Antonio Neighborhood Profiles (http://sanantonio.about.com/od/sanantonioneighborhoods/p/alamoheights.htm) and more.

Anything you would want written about the city can be addressed as well. I'm open for suggestions.

When you go to the site, on the main page you see is daily blog posts of mine. The actual meat of the content is in the sidebar under "Topics". I have written over 300 articles and blog posts in the last six weeks or so.

Here's a few examples of the articles:

Holiday Events in San Antonio (http://sanantonio.about.com/od/familieslifestyles/a/holidayresource.htm)
San Antonio Christmas (http://sanantonio.about.com/od/familieslifestyles/a/sachristmas.htm)
San Antonio Most Romantic Restaurants (http://sanantonio.about.com/od/restaurants/tp/foodromantic.htm)
Top San Antonio Sports Bars (http://sanantonio.about.com/od/barsinsanantonio/tp/sportsbars.htm)
San Antonio Zoo Photos (http://sanantonio.about.com/od/recreationfitness/ig/San-Antonio-Zoo---Birds/index.htm)

I will post in this thread every few days with new material for you all to read and I'd appreciate it if you would read the articles, as well as sign up for the About San Antonio newsletter (http://sanantonio.about.com/gi/pages/mmail.htm). I let everyone pimp their stuff in this forum, so now I am pimping mine. :)

Thanks a lot.

Kori Ellis
http://sanantonio.about.com/

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

This isn't "Si San Antonio," is it?

[ChumpDumper]

"Slovenian Tourist Photos of San Antonio"

[boutons_]

Excellent attractions are SA Botanical Gardens, and the SA zoo which is 95+ years old, and recently got a buffing for its 95th anniversary, and one of the top USA zoos.

Parallel with your bird zoo photos, there zoo spends a lot of resources on its excellent and mature botanical installations/foliage (palms, bamboo, trees, exotic tropicals, foliage). Just like the San Diego zoo, if you go to the SA zoological gardens with your eyes closed to its botanical gardens, you're missing half the show.

There are some really amazing renewal/demographic projects going on, like the building of several downtown residential buildings, giving SA an (up-market) residential population to a downtown that has suffered residential flight for the last 50+ years. Somewhat related is the "in-filling" between downtown and N. Loop 410, with its battle over lot size and housing density.

Somewhat related to the downtown developlments is the renewal of Breckenridge Park, Sunken Gardens, and adjacent Broadway, and somewhat related to that is the extension to the north of the riverwalk.

[easjer]

Congratulations, Kori!

[angel_luv]

Will do all the above. :)

[ObiwanGinobili]

:tu Awesome Kori!

[CharlieMac]

Let me know what you need on restaurants. :king

[tlongII]

I suggest writing an article with following title...


Hot, Flat, and Dusty - The "REAL" San Antonio

[Kori Ellis]

Excellent attractions are SA Botanical Gardens, and the SA zoo which is 95+ years old, and recently got a buffing for its 95th anniversary, and one of the top USA zoos.

Parallel with your bird zoo photos, there zoo spends a lot of resources on its excellent and mature botanical installations/foliage (palms, bamboo, trees, exotic tropicals, foliage). Just like the San Diego zoo, if you go to the SA zoological gardens with your eyes closed to its botanical gardens, you're missing half the show.

There are some really amazing renewal/demographic projects going on, like the building of several downtown residential buildings, giving SA an (up-market) residential population to a downtown that has suffered residential flight for the last 50+ years. Somewhat related is the "in-filling" between downtown and N. Loop 410, with its battle over lot size and housing density.

Somewhat related to the downtown developlments is the renewal of Breckenridge Park, Sunken Gardens, and adjacent Broadway, and somewhat related to that is the extension to the north of the riverwalk.

The Botanical Gardens are closed right now for remodeling, but that's high on my list.

Thanks for the other suggestions.

[SpursWoman]

Alamo Heights Grocery Stores:
HEB-Central Market 4821 Broadway (210) 368-8600
Cooper's Meat Market 6002 Broadway (210) 820-3838


You forgot the Gucc-E-B in Alamo Heights on Nacogdoches & N. New Braunfels. Where the slow, old ladies would do their grocery shopping when I was in a hurry on my lunch hour. :flipoff :lol

[SpursWoman]

That's very cool, Kori ... I was actually Googling something yesterday and noticed your picture on the top of one of the results ... before I saw this thread in the forum. :)

[SequSpur]

San Antonio is weak.

[sandman]

I suggest writing an article with following title...


Hot, Flat, and Dusty - The "REAL" San Antonio


That would be the "REAL" San Angelo. Get your Texas cities named after saints correct.

[baseline bum]

No article about Cherry Street?

[ShoogarBear]

Sorry, I only read Style.Defined.com

[Buddy Holly]

Kori, I sent you a PM.

[gameFACE]

Very cool. I'll try and think about some hidden "off the beaten path" places.

[boutons_]

SA has several old, distinctive private secondary schools of very different character.

Central Catholic (built 1932)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Catholic_Marianist_High_School

Keystone School

TMI (SA military culture/bases tie-in)

St Mary's Hall

[CharlieMac]

The Electric Company and Cool Arrows are awesome San Antonio attractions.

[MannyIsGod]

We live across from San Antonio Academy. Its a weird school Stupid rich people.

[Zombie.]

Someone from CA running A SA info site Priceless :lmao

[MavTalker]

I was told in a chat room Kori was a Mexican is that true?

[1Parker1]

Interesting stuff. San Antonio seems like it has a lot of attractions...:tu

If I ever visit, I know where to find the info :)

[rasho8]

You could do a thing on the Alamo City Ballet Co's Nutcracker?
Or not *lol*

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Nice one Kori. :)

Reading your articles is a perfect way for me to work out what I want to do in my time there too!

[MosesGuthrie]

You forgot the Gucc-E-B in Alamo Heights on Nacogdoches & N. New Braunfels. Where the slow, old ladies would do their grocery shopping when I was in a hurry on my lunch hour

That is the central market now, I think.

[Zombie]

Someone from CA running A SA info site Priceless :lmao
Man keep up with what you are doing and you'll past my post count in no time! :lol

[sleepybum]

Hey, congrats and nice job so far from what I've read. I like your formatting and nice use of simple clip art/graphics to make the page a little less text-heavy.

I think I like the way the Austin About page (http://austin.about.com/About_Austin_TX.htm) had the captions/copyright info formatted a little better with small text and a proper copyright symbol directly under the pictures, but that's a pretty minor critique. I hope it goes well for you. :toast

p.s. Here's the HTML/ASCII code for a copyright symbol


©
©
That should have been &(#)169; remove parens

[jinglejangle]

Congrats,
Looks like an informative outlet to find out what's going on around the area.

[Kori Ellis]

Hey, congrats and nice job so far from what I've read. I like your formatting and nice use of simple clip art/graphics to make the page a little less text-heavy.

I think I like the way the Austin About page (http://austin.about.com/About_Austin_TX.htm) had the captions/copyright info formatted a little better with small text and a proper copyright symbol directly under the pictures, but that's a pretty minor critique. I hope it goes well for you. :toast

p.s. Here's the HTML/ASCII code for a copyright symbol


©
©
That should have been &(#)169; remove parens

Thanks. I'm still in my 3 month training period, so I have to do everything standard for now (and just listing that copyright line at the end of the blog post is their standard). After the 3 months, I can start doing a lot more little tricks.

[SpursWoman]

That is the central market now, I think.

No, it's HEB ... it used to be a Handy Andy. :)

[Mr Dio]

Kori, Blaze wanted me to ask you if u can do an about.com article on gentlemen's clubs?

[ShoogarBear]

Perhaps she would prefer to hire a field correspondent?

[Kori Ellis]

Kori, Blaze wanted me to ask you if u can do an about.com article on gentlemen's clubs?

Actually I'm doing that next week :lol Seriously.

I'm not going to go visit them, but I need to do an article on the best ones.

[3rdCoast]

Actually I'm doing that next week :lol Seriously.

I'm not going to go visit them, but I need to do an article on the best ones.

Sugars is good.

Wild Zebra is alright.

NEVER and I FUCKING MEAN NEVER EVER GO TO PARADISE.

FULL NUDE = SICK FOR A WEEK AFTER YOU GO.

[ShoogarBear]

Actually I'm doing that next week :lol Seriously.

I'm not going to go visit them, but I need to do an article on the best ones.Sounds like pretty lazy journalism. :)

[Mr Dio]

Actually I'm doing that next week :lol Seriously.

I'm not going to go visit them, but I need to do an article on the best ones.


Whaaaaa????????????

LJ, Kris & I will do some detailed investigations for you next tue, wed or thur.

We'll send Blaze & KEDA to HardBodies to check that out.
Blaze, still have that HardBodies VIP mbrshp?

[Kori Ellis]

Whaaaaa????????????

LJ, Kris & I will do some detailed investigations for you next tue, wed or thur.

We'll send Blaze & KEDA to HardBodies to check that out.
Blaze, still have that HardBodies VIP mbrshp?

Okay, have fun. Take notes.

[ShoogarBear]

Okay, have fun. Take notes.If you tell them you're press, they may let you take photos.

[RashoFan]

Hardbodies is ....meh. I understand that there is a new place off of San Pedro called HOT STUFF or something like that. Any of the gals here want to go check it out and we can have Kori go with us or we can report back to her...

[pooh]

Thanks for the article on me Kori, means a lot.

[Shelly]

Hey, that's awesome, Kori! Good luck with the site!

[Das Texan]

Actually I'm doing that next week :lol Seriously.

I'm not going to go visit them, but I need to do an article on the best ones.


lazy journalism is bad journalism.


:lol

[Taco]

Nice!!!

[blackbucket]

Where is the link to the activities going on during New Years? I saw it a few days ago but can't find it now. Thanks in advance!

[Kori Ellis]

Where is the link to the activities going on during New Years? I saw it a few days ago but can't find it now. Thanks in advance!

http://sanantonio.about.com/od/restaurantsnightlife/a/newyearsparties.htm

If you know of more that I should add, let me know.

Thanks.

[GrandeDavid]

Kori, I've enjoyed your writing and insightful tips re. San Antonio. Keep up the great work and I'll be sure to continue visiting that site!

[Guru of Nothing]

If I may borrow the "I've been all around the world" expression, San Antonio is the freakin' World's Best Hamburger Capital.

I hardly touch red meat these days, but put me back in SA for a week and I'm hitting seven burger joints minimum - Casbeers being the best.

Speaking of SA restaurants, I think the Pig Stand "invented" onion rings.

[boutons_]

December 29, 2006

American Journeys

A Side of San Antonio That Nearly Forgets the Alamo

By BETH GREENFIELD

FOR every obvious tourist lure in San Antonio — the jammed downtown River Walk, the faux-Mexican Market Square, even the famous Alamo — there seems to exist a surprising, alluring alternative. And it’s that very quality, of a more authentic, accessible town lurking beneath the often gaudy surface, that makes San Antonio, a vibrant city of some 1.3 million, an intriguing place.

The soul of the city is a blend of Southern, Mexican, Tejano and cowboy-Western cultures. You’ll feel it most intensely through the streetscapes, which mix Wild West-inspired storefronts with down-home barbecue shacks and Mexican taquerías, and its people, who could wear cowboy hats as easily as baseball caps and will greet you with “howdy” as surely as “qué tal?”

Though Spanish missionaries founded San Antonio in 1718, most of the flavor of Spain is long gone. In its place lies the melting pot of traditions not only from Mexico and the Deep South, but also from Germany, thanks to the immigrants who settled here after the founding of the Republic of Texas in the mid-1800s. A strong military presence is an old theme: the city’s most famous fight was at the Alamo in 1836, and today Fort Sam Houston and several Air Force bases are in the area.

The standard tourist attractions have their appeal. But for a more adventurous tour, begin in the Southtown neighborhood, a diverse and welcoming pocket that’s cherished by many locals and usually overlooked by tourists. It’s more Austin boho than San Antonio historic, and it’s where you’ll find hipsters and art lovers and gifts like handblown glass beads rather than “Remember the Alamo” pins. Buildings of one and two stories, in contrast to the higher-rise cityscape of the central downtown, give this area a mellow feel. The main strip, South Alamo Street, is a short but colorful jumble of cultural treats: galleries that brim with local and Mexican folk art; shops that hawk vintage clothing; restaurants that offer everything from savory Texas barbecue to authentic tacos to fusion feasts; and a slew of quirky B & Bs.

The neighborhood fits neatly along the seam of the King William District, named by German settlers and now a grand sanctuary of tree-shaded streets lined with Victorian, Italianate and Beaux Arts mansions, all in the shadow of the jagged skyline.

“The thing that drew me down here was First Friday,” said Jacob Maldonado, a gallery proprietor. Southtown’s First Friday is a gallery walk like many similar Friday events in other cities with the addition of live music and craft vendors. Mr. Maldonado, 24, grew up across town but recently opened Inter Artisan on South Alamo, with shelves stocked with Mexican treasures like Mata Ortiz pottery and whimsical Oaxacan sculptures. Next door is Nomad’s, specializing in furnishings from Asia and South America. Across the street is Pulquerios’, bursting with local jewelry and folk art like colorful strands of glass beads, sterling silver rings and nichos — fantastical shadow- box scenes like a dancing skeleton for the Day of the Dead.

“Everybody gets stuck on the River Walk, and that’s totally pitiful,” said an exasperated but good-humored Hank Lee, 42. His gallery, San Angel Folk Art, is stuffed with eye-poppingly colorful works by artists both local and remote. It’s in the sprawling Blue Star Arts Complex that’s home to other galleries, studios and a popular brewery pub.

MOST visitors do indeed wind up at the River Walk, along a portion of the San Antonio River that was diverted to run through the center of downtown. Alternating with lovely touches like arched bridges and flowerbeds are crowded bars and restaurants. Though the River Walk can be a peaceful place to stroll at dawn and has standout stops like the Hotel Valencia and the restaurant Biga on the Banks, its general feel is alfresco mall meets Las Vegas theme hotel. The nearby Market Square, a minimall that is a contrived re-creation of a mercado, sells tourist wares like woven blankets, cowboy hats and T-shirts with tacky messages.

The little-visited heart of San Antonio’s real Mexican neighborhood is less than a mile away, edging Southtown on South Presa Street. Among the taquerías, taverns, groceries and tamale shops, a popular place is Torres Taco Haven, a big, yet homey restaurant that is packed for weekend breakfast. It was buzzing on a recent Sunday morning, as neighborhood families and a sprinkling of others in the know clamored for the hearty beef soup and the migas (eggs scrambled with tortilla strips).

Just a five-minute drive away is San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, home to four ancient walled missions of adobe and stone. The missions, spread out along 12 bucolic miles and built in the 18th century, are the remains of self-sufficient communities, home bases for Spanish Catholic missionaries who converted the native Coahuiltecans to Christianity and put them to work in the surrounding fields. All four — Concepción, San José, San Juan and Espada — are beautifully preserved feats of architecture, each with its own awe-inspiring details, from a finely detailed rose window to grand Romanesque gates and original interior wall paintings of saints and suns. Their sweeping grounds, shaded by mesquites and cedars and red oaks, are silent sanctuaries, and they are linked by a narrow country road and a bike path bordered by a ribbon of fields, forests and small houses.

The Alamo, of course, is a former mission, too, but it is downtown, directly across from the Guinness World Records Museum and the Davy Crockett’s Tall Tales Ride, and attracts more than 2.5 million visitors a year. While a visit to the Alamo is educational, it won’t be peaceful.

SOME of the mission churches in the national historic park still hold weekly services, and among the best treats in San Antonio is the Sunday mariachi Mass at San José. A recent standing-room-only Sunday drew worshipers attired in everything from jeans and cowboy hats to suits and ties and dressy women’s wear. Some were crowded outside the open front door, craning toward the front of the sanctuary where the seven-piece band, clad in black mariachi jackets and fat red bow ties and wide sombreros, sent joyously spiritual music heavenward.

“It’s a very unique thing because when the tourists come, they are able to take something special — the feeling, the music — back home with them,” said Carlos Herrera, 54, an usher. “The missions here are still very strong.”

A New York City couple filed out with the crowd after the service had ended. “It was fantastic,” said Lars Halter, a 32-year-old financial journalist who was traveling with his partner Christine Schultz, 33, a wardrobe coordinator for TV and film. “I would love it if Mass could always be like that.”

Mr. Halter, a native of Germany, said they were visiting San Antonio after staying in nearby New Braunfels — a small Texas Hill Country town settled by Germans in 1845. New Braunfels had just wrapped up its annual Wurstfest, a 10-day salute to sausage that attracts tens of thousands of visitors each November.

Wurstfest time or not, a trip into the Hill Country, which stretches west and north, is the perfect excursion from San Antonio. You’ll drive through a gently rolling landscape of pastures, rolled hay, grazing goats and horses and, if the time of year is right, abundant wildflowers or fluttering clouds of amber-hued butterflies. Along the way, you can go horseback riding, buy a set of vintage Lu-Ray Pastels teacups and become fuzzy headed on the local lager.

Then return to San Antonio, the acknowledged center of that wonderful South Texas feeling of standing at a cultural crossroads.

If You Go

The San Antonio airport, about 10 miles from downtown, is served by major airlines. You can also fly to Austin, rent a car and drive through the Texas Hill Country to San Antonio.

Southtown is easily accessible from downtown by car, local transit or foot. See www.southtown.net (http://www.southtown.net) for details about events, including First Fridays, and bed-and-breakfasts.

In the nearby King William District, the Grand Fleur de Lis (120 Cedar Street, 210-792-7700; www.grandfleurdelis.com (http://www.grandfleurdelis.com)) is both stylish and peaceful, with rates from $99 to $149. Also in the district, the Brackenridge House (230 Madison Street, 210-271-3442; www.brackenridgehouse.com (http://www.brackenridgehouse.com)) is an elegant inn with a grand porch, a small pool and free wireless. Rooms are $111 to $350.

Among the best lodging options downtown is the Hotel Valencia (150 East Houston Street, 210-227-9700; www.hotelvalencia.com (http://www.hotelvalencia.com)). It’s on the River Walk but feels private and luxurious and has a sleek modern style. Rooms are $279 to $349.

The Citrus restaurant at the Valencia is a worthy choice on the River Walk as is Biga on the Banks (203 South St. Mary’s Street, 210-225-0722; www.biga.com (http://www.biga.com)), where the influences are Asian and Southwestern and the atmosphere is lofty. Entrees are $15 to $36.

For excellent Mexican meals, including tacos made with thick homemade tortillas, try Tito’s (955 South Alamo Street, 210-212-8226), a Southtown staple that is open until 1 a.m. for First Fridays, or the bustling Torres Taco Haven (1036 South Presa Street, 210-533-2171), which is popular for breakfast. Meals at each average about $6.

Dive into traditional barbecue at the nearby kitschy Pig Stand (801 South Presa Street), home to a big pig statue and wonderfully greasy specialties like pork sandwiches and chicken-fried steak that also cost around $6.

The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (www.nps.gov/saan (http://www.nps.gov/saan)) is home to four mission churches, peaceful park areas, a visitor center and a 12-mile bike path. A mariachi Mass is offered on Sundays at noon at San José.

The Alamo (Alamo Plaza, 210-225-1391, www.thealamo.org (http://www.thealamo.org)) is free and open daily.

It is best to tour the Hill Country by car, either as a day trip or as a longer diversion. For maps and other details go to www.hill-country-visitor.com (http://www.hill-country-visitor.com).

http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/12/29/travel/escapes/29american.html?8dpc

[Kori Ellis]

Thanks for posting. It's weird that article came out today mentioning Pig Stand, because I thought they went bankrupt and closed down.